Thread: Baghdad car bombs kill more than 50

Iraq violence: Baghdad car bombs kill more than 50
27 May 2013 Last updated at 12:27 ET
Firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze from a car bomb attack in Baghdad


At least 50 people have been killed in a series of explosions in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say.
Many more were wounded in the car bomb attacks, targeting mainly Shia districts of the capital, according to officials.
The violence comes amid a recent marked rise in attacks linked to growing political and sectarian tension.
The bloodshed has raised fears of a return to the levels of sectarian violence seen in 2006 and 2007.
Iraq's Shia and Sunnis

• Shia Muslims make up roughly 60% of population. Were persecuted during presidency of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni. Have since dominated politically
• Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda targeted Shias during worst of sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007.
• Many Sunnis were driven out of mixed areas and government security forces were accused of widespread abuses against Sunnis
• Sunni Iraqis say they are discriminated against politically and economically. Sectarian conflict has fuelled massive internal displacement and emigration
• Religions: 97% Muslim (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
• Ethnicity: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%

• Quick guide: Sunnis and Shias

The latest attacks included up to 11 bombs in Baghdad city.
One bombing struck the busy commercial Sadoun Street in central Baghdad. One bystander who saw that attack, Zein al-Abidin, said a four-year-old child was among the victims. "What crime have those innocent people committed?" he asked.
No group has said it carried out the attacks, but tension between the Shia Muslim majority, which leads the government, and minority Sunnis has been growing since last year.
Sunnis have accused the government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki of discriminating against them - something the government denies.
Mr Maliki has vowed to make immediate changes to Iraq's security strategy, saying militants "will not be able to return us to the sectarian conflict".
Monday's bombings come a week after more than 70 people were killed and many others injured in a series of attacks across the country, in what was described as one of the worst days for sectarian violence in Iraq for several years.
Baghdad was worst hit, with several explosions at bus stations and markets in mainly Shia Muslim districts.
Estimates put the number of deaths this month at more than 450 - the second consecutive month during which more than 400 people have been killed.
　
　
　
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22682400#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Iraq violence: Baghdad car bombs kill at least 66
BBC News - 8 minutes ago